B.C.’s Tyler Tardi, meanwhile, is back to represent Canada for the third year in a row after capturing the world junior men’s title last season.

Canada is aiming for a 20th world junior men’s crown.

Tardi has a new lineup that includes his longtime teammate Sterling Middleton at third, and a new front end of second Matt Hall, who relocated this season from Ontario, and lead Alex Horvath.

Tardi opens play in the first draw on Saturday night against Andrew Stopera of the United States, who won silver in 2017 and finished fourth in 2018.

The Canadian women open Sunday morning against Scotland’s Lisa Davie.

Top contenders on the women’s side include South Korea’s Min Ji Kim, who won gold in the third leg of the Curling World Cup earlier this month in Sweden, as well as Norway’s Maia Ramsfjell, who lost the 2018 world junior bronze-medal game to China.